 | |  ALGA is sorry to advise that Mayor Barry Jarvis, President Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT) and ALGA Board member, died this week. Mayor Jarvis was elected to Dorset Council in 2007 and became Mayor in 2009. He had been a representative of the Association's General Management Committee since 2011 and commenced his Presidency in October 2014. Having been involved in a small rural council that represents an area which has taken many economic hits over the past decade, Mayor Jarvis had become increasingly aware of the importance of councils in advocating and representing community. He was enjoying the challenges of working with Association members, the State Government and other stakeholders to further progress Local Government in Tasmania. As President, he worked collaboratively, engaging positively with the many varied stakeholders and advocating strongly for the best outcomes for the Local Government sector and local communities. He was a well-liked and highly respected leader. We extend our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues at this sad time. | | | | |  ALGA has raised the importance of taxation revenue at the local and regional level for the provision of essential Local Government services and infrastructure in its submission this week to the Taxation Issues Paper. The submission asserted the view that an analysis of revenue, including taxation and Local Government's taxation revenue power, cannot be undertaken in isolation from the role of, and allocation of public functions to, Local Government. ALGA flagged further critical issues including: - the constraints and restrictions that impinge upon local government’s ability to fully exploit its taxation base (ability to pay, capping, concessions, exemptions and the potential for state crowding out)
- the critical role of intergovernmental grants from the Commonwealth and the states to the sector (both in the form of general purpose funding and specific purpose payments) in order to promote horizontal fiscal equity for all Australians
- the role local government plays in raising some of the taxation revenue within a federalised taxation system.
Submissions received in response to the Treasury Issues Paper are intended to assist the Treasury in the development of a Green Paper as part of the White Paper process, with that Green Paper expected to be released for formal consultation with the community later in 2015. Read ALGA's submission to the Tax Issues Paper here. | | | | |  ALGA is pleased to confirm that the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Bill Shorten MP will deliver an address to the National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA) when it convenes in Canberra in just over a week's time. This will be the first time that Mr Shorten has addressed the NGA since assuming the leadership of the Labor Party in October 2013. It will be an excellent opportunity to hear directly from the Opposition about what its priorities are when it comes to the issues that Local Government cares about as well as his views on the debates on Federation and taxation. The final speakers for the NGA have been locked in, promising three days of interesting discussion focused on the role of local government in our communities and its broader role on governance in this country. It will be your opportunity to represent the goals and views of your council in debates on issues of national importance, to present your own experiences in panel and concurrent sessions and a chance to strengthen ties or even create new ones. It is not too late to have your council's voice heard at the NGA. Get more information on registration, the program and speakers here. | | |
| |  This week, I have focused on ALGA's Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) campaign to restore the indexation of the grants as soon as possible, improve indexation in the longer term and ultimately increase the quantum of the grants. This is a key issue for ALGA and I am glad to say that the campaign has gathered momentum in recent weeks with a rapid growth in the number of councils passing resolutions to acknowledge the grants as important and valued Commonwealth funding and engaging their local Federal MPs about the indexation freeze. A total of 85 councils have now passed resolutions, however I want to reiterate the importance of having resolutions from as many councils as possible - in my view we need at least 500 of the 560 councils around Australia. ALGA's FAGs Campaign Steering Committee, comprised of the Presidents of ALGA and the state and territory associations, convened at the beginning of the week to assess the campaign and decide on further actions to advance the campaign, including additional support for smaller regional councils. Every state and territory has been active in engaging councils in the campaign and I was able to highlight the positive response I had to my presentation to Victorian councils at MAV’s Summit on the Future of Local Government last week in which I addressed the campaign and urged councils to get behind it. An important part of the campaign is also gathering examples of the direct impact the indexation freeze has on councils. On-the-ground case studies are extremely powerful in helping our advocacy with the Federal Government. One council reported that the value of lost grants equates to the cost of resealing 23 kilometers of road. Another council noted that the loss in grants was equal to a cut in rate revenue of 8.8%. I encourage all councils to share their own examples of the impact of the freeze on FAGs indexation with their state and territory association and ALGA to assist our advocacy efforts. I continue to meet with federal politicians, both backbenchers and Ministers, to highlight our campaign and reiterate the significant long-term impacts on councils and communities. Interestingly, I'm also finding sympathetic allies outside of our sector, effectively third party advocates, who value the role of Local Government and understand the need for enhanced funding. We need to identify these individuals and organisations and encourage their active participation in the conversation. Through the FAGs campaign, we hope to broaden our support base and not only maintain, but strengthen this important direct funding relationship between the Federal and Local Government and encourage all councils to play their part. On a final note, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of my colleague Mayor Barry Jarvis, President of the Local Government Association of Tasmania, Mayor of Dorset Council and Board member of ALGA. We have lost a strong leader in the Local Government sector. My thoughts and prayers are with Barry's family, the Association and the sector during this difficult period. Mayor Troy Pickard President | | |
| | The Regional Cooperation and Development Forum, which will be held in just over a week on Sunday 14 June, will see the launch of the 2015 State of the Regions report. The theme for this year's report is Inequality within and between regions addressing the question as to whether equality in the distribution of income is associated with higher economic growth at the regional level across Australia. Dr Peter Brain and Ian Manning will explore this year's State of the Regions report in a technical workshop in the afternoon. The workshop will be sure to add further dimension to discussions around inequality of income distribution within and between regions as an obstacle to economic growth. The workshop will provide an opportunity for mayors, councillors, Regional Development Australia committee members and other key decision and policy makers to gather together to share contemporary knowledge and experience to strengthen the ability of Australia's diverse regions to compete in the global economy Find more information on how to register to attend the Regional Forum at this link. | | | | | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss has invited tenders for detailed design work on the M1 Pacific Motorway upgrade between the Kariong and Somersby interchanges following the finalisation of the review of environmental factors (REF). The Minister said the release of the REF submissions report was another step in delivering this major upgrade, which would reduce travel times, improve road freight efficiency and provide for the expected growth of tourism, commuter and freight traffic between Sydney and Newcastle. Community feedback is being sought on the REF and the submissions received with a focus on noise mitigation, design, construction staging and air quality. To view the REF submissions report online visit www.rms.nsw.gov.au | | | | | The Australian Trucking Association has, in its submission to the Government's Competition Policy Review, called for more to be done to implement road reforms and ensure the trucking industry is able to continue increasing its productivity. The CEO of the Australian Trucking Association Christopher Melham said the industry's productivity has plateaued due to government regulation and policy decisions. He projected that national freight task is set to grow by 80 per cent between 2011 and 2031, urging governments to take action on policy reforms to implement road planning and funding reforms to optimise road infrastructure funding efficiency. The Australian Trucking Association's submission is available at this link. | | | | | The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) and Department of Communications have been looking into the issue of telecommunications pathways and spaces in buildings over the past 12 months. The ABCB has just released a proposal to require the inclusion of in-building telecommunications pathways and spaces in buildings via the National Construction Code (NCC). The purpose of establishing the NCC was to incorporate all on-site construction requirements into a single code and there is currently no regulatory requirement to install telecommunications in buildings. The proposal seeks to address delays in the provision of fixed-line services, increased costs and impacts on occupant amenity that occur where there is a failure to install appropriate telecommunications spaces and pathways in new buildings. The ABCB is seeking feedback on the technical merits of the proposals included in the 2016 public comment draft of NCC Volume One and Two. Feedback can be provided via the ABCB website by 3 August 2015 using the response sheet template. A Consultation Regulation Impact Statement will be released in late July. | | | | | Minister for Environment the Hon Greg Hunt and Minister for Agriculture the Hon Barnaby Joyce this week jointly announced more than $100,000 in National Landcare Programme regional funding. The funding will be delivered by the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority through its community grants programme and has been awarded to 13 successful local community groups to help support a range of on-ground environmental and agricultural projects. The funding aims to protect the Wimmera’s natural environment through a range of innovative local projects including community planting, installing nesting boxes and “Critter Cams” to support wildlife surveys, addressing damage caused by rabbits as well as supporting a range of other important, locally-based projects. For more information about the National Landcare Programme and the 13 local projects supported by the funding, go to www.nrm.gov.au | | | | | The Insurance Council of Australia has reported that autumn storms has caused $1.551 billion in losses across NSW and QLD. Insurance companies have received more than 160,000 claims for the three declared catastrophes including from the SE QLD/Northern NSW storm in May, the Sydney Anzac Day hailstorm in April and the NSW storms also in April. The council warns that if unprepared, the devastation and financial loss caused by natural disasters can be magnified and has provided disaster recovery tips at http://understandinsurance.com.au/preparing-for-disasters | | | | | A Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre is being established by Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL) under the Australian Government's $188.5 million Industry Growth Centres initiative to boost Australian industry's competitiveness and productivity in five key growth sectors. Four leading food and agribusiness sector experts will join the board of FIAL to develop the new Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre. They include Simplot Managing Director Terry O'Brien, dairy industry expert Jane Bennett, food science research and commercialisation expert Michele Allan and Geoff Starr, Director of both food relief charity Foodbank Australia and Australian Pork Ltd. Industry and Science Minister Ian Macfarlane said the Growth Centres initiative was the centrepiece of the Australian Government’s strategy to guide industry into a new era of growth, investment and jobs by encouraging greater collaboration between businesses in those sectors where Australia already got a strong foothold, and the best prospects of future excellence. Find out more about the Industry Growth Centres here. | | | | | Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion this week announced a change in remote employment services from 1 July this year. The Minister said that the Community Development Programme, formerly the Remote Jobs and Communities Programme, would see unemployed people engaged in meaningful activities and on a pathway to real jobs, ensuring job seekers were active in contributing to making their communities better places to live The minister announced that over the next 12 months, almost 30,000 job seekers aged between 18 and 49 in remote communities will be required to make a meaningful contribution for their welfare payments for up to 25 hours a week. Activities will be identified within existing institutions, such as local councils, aged care facilities, child care facilities, ranger programmes and schools. He added that training would be available through employment services providers for skills that are needed to fill real jobs in communities in areas such as education, health and trades. Find out more about these changes on the Minister's website. | | | | | Access All Areas Film Festival (AAAFF) is an annual film festival celebrating accessible and inclusive film experience of people with and without disability. The festival, now in its 8th year, is a flagship event of the NSW Government's Don't DIS my ABILITY campaign in the lead up to International Day of People With a Disability on 3 December. Last year, 93 screenings were hosted in venues across regional Australia as part of the tour. AAAFF is again inviting all Local Governments and community organisations to take part in the festival's tour this year by hosting a screening of Australian-made short films with open captions and audio description, during November and December 2015. Participation in the festival is free and all content and media is included free of charge. To register your interest in hosting a screening, contact jules@thefestivalists.com. More information about the festival is available on its website. | | | | | The National Construction Code (NCC) provides the minimum necessary requirements for safety, health, amenity and sustainability in the design and construction of new buildings (and new building work in existing buildings) throughout Australia. The NCC is available for free download on the NCC website. However, if you prefer a printed and bound version, the Housing Industry Association has reproduced the Building Code of Australia (Volumes 1 and 2 of the NCC) under licence from the Australian Building Codes Board. This is available for purchase on the HIA website. | | |
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